Coalition News

NY Landowners Receive Lease Bonus Checks

When Christy Everitt signed a lease with Talisman energy about three years ago, she received $500 per acre up front, and the company promised to send the other, much larger check when gas drilling permits were issued or by January 2012.

Everitt just received that check.

"We received the other check on Friday, yesterday, and some of the other folks in the group got their's on Thursday. There are a couple still to get their checks, but they're on their way," says Everitt.

Everitt is a member of the Friendsville Group and the Joint Landowners Coalition of New York.

She believes that because people are now receiving the second payment, Talisman will start drilling soon.

Which Everitt believes would be good for the economy, landowners and coalitions.

"We have an excellent lease and this is just kind of proof that the system works," says Everitt.

Everitt signed the lease for $5500 per acre and she has 117 acres. She says that will be a little over $3000 after taxes.

"Taxes will take out about $2,000 an acre, so it's already having an impact, money that will go in to the DEC for them to protect us when the drilling begins," says Christy Everitt.

Just because she is pro-drilling, Everitt says doesn't mean she isn't concerned about the environment.

In fact she says the opposite is true.

"I think it is safe. I mean this land around me, we love it. We walk every single day on this land. We don't vacation somewhere else, we vacation here," says Everitt.

Instead of importing gas from places such as Pennsylvania and Texas, Everitt says New York should allow drilling out of fairness and to create jobs.

"Why is it fair for those people to put up with this if it's such a bad thing and we get the inexpensive, cleaner burning gas. It would be hard to burn wood and coal and a few other things in New York City, you know those people depend on it," says Everitt.